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Poetry | December 2011

The Secret Life of a Vanishing Dream

By Amber Momoh

I used to believe in the power of unlimited opportunity,
that if my children liked one marinara sauce,
then surely they’d like the next.

Just like I once believed life was like a series of beautifully furnished rooms,
maybe ascending up a staircase with an elaborate balustrade,
a crystal chandelier,
and pictures of white swans decorating the walls.

Anyhow, it wasn’t true, and I learned to cook the same things over and over,
to make love to the same husband,
to cherish my friends.

I reuse cloth grocery bags,
and save the little plastic ones that produce comes in
so that I don’t have to buy plastic wrap.

And I try to not to question why they refuse, for instance,
to eat a pasta of an unfamiliar shape.

Or to hate my husband for leaving his keys
all night
lodged in the lock of our front door.

But sometimes, I carve out a little space
to become a swan,
praying solemnly, my head dipping into that rippling pool,

where I can see us flying upward forever,
beyond the familiar clouds–
to where even the hinges of our white paint-chipped doors
become more beautiful.

3 replies on “The Secret Life of a Vanishing Dream”

Ashley Nisslersays:
January 2, 2012 at 4:18 pm

I love how you use kid habits, how we have to find more space for beauty and stretching in the routine, Amber. Very, very nice.

Reply
Farrah Morriseysays:
January 2, 2012 at 6:54 pm

Beautiful, Amber! Great work!

Reply
Cassie Premo Steelesays:
January 4, 2012 at 2:54 am

This made me laugh out loud! Such wisdom in the ordinary! Thank you!

Reply

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